Chasing the Dream
by Been Reading
Summary: Sequel to Seeking the Truth. After fighting through secrets and lies, Harry and Ginny finally feel like they can start their lives together. Things won't be as simple as they think, however. Join them as they fight to stay together when it feels like t
1. Chapter 1

A/N Read the note at the bottom! Nothing is mine, I just love playing in the Harry Potter Universe

Chasing the Dream

Glad to be out of the cold weather, Ginny hung her cloak on the tall wooden rack placed by the front door and gave a slight shiver as her body absorbed the warmth of the house.

"Harry? Harry, I'm here," she called as she slowly walked down the hall, glancing in each room for a sign of her boyfriend. "Harry? Where are you?"

Ginny tried to ignore the pang in her chest that she felt every time she wasn't certain where Harry was. After making sure that he wasn't on the ground floor, she made her way up the stairs to his bedroom. Normally as she climbed the staircase she enjoyed taking the time to look at all of the photographs on the walls from their time together at school, but today she just wanted to find Harry.

It wasn't that she didn't think Harry could take care of himself; she knew he could. She was more concerned that he was overexerting himself. He had woken up from being in a month long coma with his magical reserves exhausted and no feeling in his right leg. While both were slowly coming back, Harry was going stir crazy. To try and keep him from doing too much on his own, Ginny walked with him around the Hogwarts grounds twice a week.

Ginny glanced in Harry's bedroom, noting that the bed was unmade and the cane Harry had to use to walk until his leg fully recovered was gone. "If you're out walking around the neighborhood I'm going to kill you," Ginny muttered as she pointed her wand at the bed to make it. "Damn it all!" she exclaimed as the pillows on the bed exploded, causing an eruption of feathers.

Ever since Harry's last accident, Ginny had noticed her magic was slightly off. Simple spells would be too powerful, and powerful spells wouldn't work properly. It was all very frustrating for Ginny. At her father's insistence, she had visited a Healer. The Healer's first question was if she could be pregnant, but once Ginny assured her that wasn't possible the Healer told her it was probably just the stress of her situation with Harry. She continued to hope that as Harry got better her magic would return to normal, but she still encountered problems from time to time.

"I'll take care of this later," Ginny sighed as she continued on her way through the house. She searched every room without finding as much as a note explaining where Harry was. Just as she was making her way back downstairs she heard the front door open. "Harry Potter!" she exclaimed, using her best imitation of her mother as he appeared in the entryway with Tonks. "Where have you been?"

"Just doing a bit of Christmas shopping with Tonks, love," he replied sheepishly. "We had hoped to make it back before you got here, but you're early."

"You should have at least left a note," Ginny scolded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was worried about you."

"It's really my fault, Ginny," Tonks spoke up. "I needed to do some shopping, and Harry was going to leave a note until I distracted him with talk about the wedding and your big party."

"Well, we just won't walk around Hogwarts tonight," Ginny sighed. "Harry, you really can't keep overdoing it. If you want to be without the cane in a week for our party, you need to make sure you're at least getting some rest."

"I know," he replied. "I swear, you're worse than my Healers."

"Because I love you," she replied, closing the distance between them and kissing his cheek. "We still have to meet Ron and Padma at the Three Broomsticks to finalize the guest list for the party, as well as check out the room we're going to reserve."

"I thought we finalized the guest list last week," Harry moaned. Normally, Ginny felt sympathetic that Harry had to be a part of all the planning for their Christmas party, but today she was still bitter from his most recent disappearing act.

"Harry," she said patiently, "You know how important this party is. This is when we're finally going to let all of our friends know that we're together."

"Can't we just send them all a card?" he asked grinning.

"No," she replied, slapping him playfully on the chest. "You know we discussed all of our options, and decided that coming clean all at once would cause the least gossip."

"I know," he said.

"Well, I'm off," Tonks interrupted. "Susan's checking the premises, and then she'll come inside to accompany you both to Hogsmeade. Let me know if there is anything you want Charlie or me to do before the party."

"Just focus on getting married," Ginny grinned, wrapping her soon to be sister-in-law in a hug.

"Be safe," Tonks said as she readjusted her scarf around her neck.

"You too."

Tonks grinned and walked out of the door. Ginny quickly shut the door, a shiver running down her spine from the cold air Tonks had let in. She turned around and faced Harry, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So how much trouble am I in?" he asked, grinning.

"Depends… What'd you buy me for Christmas?" she asked coyly, sauntering towards him. She ran her hands up his chest before circling her arms around his neck. "I hope it wasn't anything useful, like a book."

"Oh, but it was such a nice, thick book," Harry sighed dramatically, burying his head in her hair. "You've gone and ruined the surprise."

"You'll just have to buy me something else then," she whispered as she placed a kiss on his neck. "You'll have to try extra hard to make up for disappearing on me again. That's the third time this week."

Harry groaned. "I can honestly say I know how Sirius felt when he was trapped in this house."

Ginny pulled back from him so she could look at his face. "You're not trapped, Harry. You just have to make sure you're getting plenty of rest, and make sure that you tell me where you went if you leave."

"So you're my warden now?" Harry asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"No, I just love you and worry about you when I don't know where you are," she sighed, dropping her head on his chest. "It was so hard when you were hurt; I tend to panic a bit when you're gone. I don't know when I'll ever get over this fear I have of losing you."

Harry leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I love that you worry about me, but you have to know that I'm under constant Auror supervision until I'm fully recovered. It'd be next to impossible for me to disappear completely… trust me, I've tried."

"You shouldn't try to sneak away from them," Ginny replied, her voice muffled against his shirt.

"That's just who I am, love."

"We're going to be late to meet Ron and Padma," she said, pulling away from his embrace. She wanted nothing more than to forget her plans with Ron and Padma and take Harry upstairs to his bedroom, but she knew that they weren't allowed to do anything intimate until Harry was able to walk normally and use his magic regularly. The day of the party was when he was supposed to go back to the healer for his final checkup. She had to work hard to restrain herself from jumping on him, especially when they went to bed at night.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I just need to grab my cloak," Ginny replied.

"Allow me," Harry said, stepping away from her and picking up her cloak off the rack. He placed it over her shoulders and fastening the hook on her chest before giving her a soft kiss. "Ready now?"

"Susan," Ginny remembered suddenly. She opened the front door and saw the Auror walking around the front lawn. "We're ready to go," she called cheerfully.

Susan walked up to the door and stepped inside the building. "We're taking a portkey that will land us right behind the building." She pulled a brass ring out of her robes and offered it to Harry and Ginny. "On the count of three, two, one…"

Ginny felt the tug at her naval and found herself standing in the alley behind the Three Broomsticks. She brushed dust off her robes and took Harry's hand while Susan put the ring away.

"Do we have time for a brief walk around the village?" Harry asked, looking like a small child begging for a toy.

Before Ginny could answer, Susan spoke up. "Sorry, but while you probably have time, we haven't secured the area. It would be for the best if you two just went ahead inside."

"Of course it would be," he replied sourly.

Ginny smiled sympathetically and gave his hand a small squeeze. "Let's just go find a table while we wait for Ron and Padma." She led Harry into the pub with Susan trailing a few feet behind them. She was surprised to see that Ron and Padma were already sitting across from each other at a booth, talking quietly with their heads close together.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny prepared herself for another evening in Padma's company. She hated to admit it, but her brother's girlfriend was slowly growing on her. She was still much too girly for Ginny's taste, but it seemed that she really cared for Ron. More importantly, Ron was acting happy again; he was laughing, joking, and best of all, he was talking to Harry. She knew their friendship was no where near what it used to be, but they were making real progress.

"Harry! Ginny! Over here!" Padma called, pulling back from Ron. She flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulder and patted the empty place next to her. "Come on, we have a lot to get done tonight. Ron and I were hoping you'd be early!"

Ginny took the seat next to Padma, while Harry sat down next to Ron. "I actually wasn't expecting you two to be here yet," she admitted.

"Well, the guest list is a big deal and you two have put it off long enough as it is," Padma replied, digging in her bag. She pulled out a long sheet of parchment and a quill and set them down on the table. "I took the liberty of actually writing down a list based on what we've talked about and my opinions. I hope that I'm not overstepping my place, but I thought it'd be a good starting place."

"That sounds great," Harry spoke up. He exchanged a brief glance with Ginny, and she could tell he thought this meant the work would be over.

"That sounds like a good, starting place," Ginny confirmed, only slightly put out by Padma's audacity. Ron let out a groan followed quickly by a yelp.

"Don't kick me!" he exclaimed.

"Then don't be a git," Padma replied sweetly. "We're here to help out Ginny and Harry, not complain."

"Let's just get started," Ginny interrupted, hoping to prevent a fight from breaking out.

"Let's," Padma said, picking up her quill and unfolding her parchment. "The first name on my list is Hermione. She's not seeing anyone right now, so there shouldn't be any problems there. I might try to see if she'd be open to a blind date, if that's okay with the two of you. "

"Fine," Harry said disinterestedly.

Ginny tried to gauge a reaction from Ron, but seeing none she nodded and motioned for Padma to continue. "Of course, we could try and get Viktor Krum to come with her. I know they really seemed to be hitting it off again while we were in Tibet," Padma added nonchalantly.

This time, Ginny couldn't help but notice how red Ron's face turned. He started to cough violently, and Harry slapped him on the back to try and help him breathe.

"I'm sure Viktor is much too busy to attend our silly little Christmas party," Ginny said quickly.

Ron's coughing slowly subsided and Harry broke into the conversation again. "Besides, Hermione insisted that she and Krum were nothing but friends. She honestly felt like you were pressuring her a bit to be interested in him again, Padma."

Padma shifted uncomfortably in her seat and cleared her throat. "Well it was just a suggestion," she said testily before regaining her composure. "Of course, we can't forget about all your brothers, Ginny, and then all of their respective dates. Then we have Neville Longbottom, who will obviously be bringing Hannah Abbot since I've heard they're practically engaged. I also assumed you both would want to invite the entire National team."

"No!" Ginny exclaimed quickly. "Jeffrey Collins is not invited to our party. He would ruin everything! I don't want him there on the night we go public with our relationship!"

Harry reached out and placed his hand over hers on the table. "Calm down, love. He can't ruin anything for us anymore. Besides, if he is who we think he is, he already knows about our relationship."

Padma shifted in her seat uncomfortably and chewed on her bottom lip. "He was never officially accused of anything, was he?" Harry shook his head. "Then wouldn't it look very strange to invite everyone on the team but him?"

"I don't care how it would look," Ginny spat.

"Shh!" Ron said, glancing around the room nervously before continuing in a low voice. "You know how I feel about the whole situation… he used me, and that burns me up, you know? But the best way to try and find out what he's up to is to keep him close by and watch him like a hawk."

"So you really think we should invite Jeff?" Ginny asked, locking eyes with Harry.

"I think we'll have enough Auror cover there to keep us all safe, and who knows? Maybe he'll get drunk and let something slip," Harry replied carefully.

Ginny shook her head and sighed in defeat. "If you all think it's for the best."

"And speaking of Aurors, I assumed you would want to invite some of the ones you're very familiar with to the party," Padma said, looking grateful for a change in subject. "Tonks will be coming with Charlie, so I wrote down Susan Bones and Michael Corner."

"Susan should be fine, and I think she's seeing someone so put her down for two. Michael, however, is out of the country visiting family while he recovers from his injuries. He was lucky he survived that fall at all," Ginny sighed, leaning back in the booth. "But we should invite Robert and his wife."

Padma jotted something down on her parchment and nodded. "The next few aren't quite as straightforward. I have Lavender Brown, Dean Thomas, Terry Boot, Luna Lovegood, Colin Creevey, Angelina Johnson, and Oliver Wood. I think our best option would be to assume that they'll all bring dates, and then be over prepared if anything. That is, of course, if you don't have any problems with that list. Oh! And I wanted to invite my colleague, Maggie Jones, if that isn't a problem. She was so disappointed that she missed her chance to interview the team, and I know it would mean a lot to her to get to come."

Ginny exchanged another long look with Harry. It didn't sound like their ideal guest list, but she didn't think that any harm would come from it. Neither she nor Harry had kept in touch with their school friends, and she told herself that this could be the opportunity she was looking for to catch up. Plus, she wasn't sure she had enough energy to argue with Padma over it. Harry nodded his head slightly and Ginny turned towards Padma and forced a smile.

"That sounds brilliant. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving. Let's order and then we can check out the room before we leave."

A huge grin broke out across Ron's face. "That is the best idea I've heard I'll night."

"Of course it is, darling," Padma said, rolling her eyes. "Where'd that waitress get to?"

While Padma tried to signal their waitress, Ginny bit the corner of her lip as she glanced over the final guest list. She hated the paranoia she had developed; she didn't want to be suspicious of their friends. She was tired of feeling like she was being followed all the time, and more than anything, she was ready for her life to return to normal. She wanted to be able to tell her brothers she was living with Harry and why, she wanted to find a real job, and she wanted to start her life with Harry without the company of Aurors.

"Love, are you ready to order?" Harry broke into her thoughts.

She smiled and nodded her head. She just had to take things one day at a time, and before she knew it life would be normal again.

* * *

Ginny sighed softly as she relaxed into Harry's arms. The heat of the fire didn't make her nearly as hot as the intensity of her feelings for Harry. They lay together in his den on the floor in front of the crackling fire. It had been a long day for Ginny, with Harry's disappearance and the party planning with Padma, but it was all worth it to get to end the day in Harry's arms.

"What are you thinking about?" Harry asked softly, kissing the top of her head.

"Nothing important," she sighed, trying to move closer to his body.

Harry slowly stroked her red mane, taking the time to playfully wrap the ends around his fingers. "Worrying about that party?"

Ginny shook her head. She took Harry's hand from her hair and intertwined it with her own. "I just enjoy spending time like this with you… No real world to bother us."

"You know, you wouldn't have to sneak around so much if we came clean with your brothers," Harry pointed out, squeezing her hand. "They all know we're together, and they'd be hypocrites if they objected to us sharing a bed. Especially considering we're not… you know."

"I don't think they'd believe that," Ginny argued. "I think they'd all jump into overprotective mode and start giving us a hard time. We could just hex them all and be done with it, but I don't want them to know everything about us unless we can tell them everything about you."

Harry dropped his head and sighed against Ginny's shoulder before kissing her neck. "And Minister Bones refuses to let us tell anyone else until after I'm back to normal."

"She has a point," Ginny said begrudgingly, tilting her head to the side to give him better access to her neck.

"Because poor, pitiful Harry can't protect himself if anything leaks out," he replied sarcastically, picking his head up.

"Don't do that." Ginny hated when he started to talk like he was weak and completely helpless. She hated how he seemed to be so down on the world. She was tired of reminding him that in only a week's time he would be allowed to function normally again.

"I'm sorry," he replied, not sounding fully like he meant it.

"You just seem to forget that you're not the only person this situation is hard on," she sighed. "I almost went insane that month you were unconscious, and you haven't been helping by continuing to disappear on me."

"I'll try harder not to disappear… I promise," Harry replied. "I love you, Ginny, and I don't ever want to cause you pain."

Ginny shifted in Harry's arms so she could look into his eyes. "Let's forget the party and run away together. We can take off on Sirus's old motorbike and get away from all the drama." She wasn't being serious, but somewhere, deep inside her heart she wanted nothing more than to run away with Harry.

"Your family would kill us," he chuckled in reply. "Besides, we wouldn't get too far on the bike. We'd have to have other means of transportation as well."

A log in the fireplace shifted, causing red embers to shoot up in the air. Ginny shivered and Harry pulled her closer. "Susan didn't find anything suspicious did she?" she asked quietly. After their dinner, Ginny and Harry had taken a brief walk around Hogsmeade before Ginny went back for her nightly appearance at the Burrow. During their walk, she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that they were being followed, so while she was at home Susan was checking the grounds.

"No. But she said if it would make you feel better they would assign you an Auror guard."

She shook her head and kissed Harry softly. "That was your idea, wasn't it?"

"Maybe," he shrugged.

"I love that you worry about me as much as I worry about you. That's why we should just run away together… then we'll be together so much we'll be missing the days when we were worried about each other all the time," she whispered.

"I don't think it'd be possible to spend too much time with you."

"You've not lived with me yet."

Harry rolled his eyes and gave Ginny's side a slight squeeze. "We're practically living together now, love."

"But we're not officially living together," she argued. "And we spend a good portion of our days apart, while I pretend that I'm still working at the Ministry."

"Yes, but," Harry began before Ginny cut him off laughing.

"We're arguing about something that isn't going to happen! Let's face it, as much as I'd enjoy it, we're not running away together. We both have too much tying us here. I have my family, you have—"

"My healers," Harry finished sourly. "They've been trying to figure out a way to control my magic when it has fully recovered, but they're not having anymore luck now than they have for the last year. They'll probably never have any luck figuring me out."

"Don't say that."

"Sorry," he replied, kissing her forehead. "Let's talk about something more pleasant… like what kind of job you want."

Ginny groaned and scrunched her face in annoyance. "That isn't on my list of pleasant topics, love."

"Well, once we come clean, you won't have to keep your pretend job anymore and you can get a real job. You've got about a week left of Perry putting up with you."

"He really isn't very fond of me anymore, is he?" she asked chuckling. "I did really enjoy working with the team, though. I wouldn't mind working with some of the local teams… Maybe the Magpies?" she added innocently.

"You just want to keep an eye on me when I'm surrounded by all the Quidditch groupies," he laughed.

"Well, yes, and I'd like to be able to keep an eye on Jeff," Ginny admitted. "I'm worried that he's still up to something."

"Do you think you'll be able to let the Aurors worry about Jeff?" Harry asked, frowning.

Ginny pushed Harry's chest and pulled away from him. "No, just like you won't be able to. Don't be a hypocrite, Harry. Don't ask things of me you can't do yourself. I love you, but I'm not going to sit on the sidelines while you try and track Jeff down."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," he said, reaching out for her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his body. "I won't leave you out."

Ginny struggled against his grasp and crossed her arms over her chest. "Or behind?"

Sighing, Harry nodded. "I won't leave you anywhere you don't want to be."

"Good," she smiled, relaxing against his chest. They lay in silence for a few moments longer, letting the warmth of the fire envelop their bodies. As Harry stroked Ginny's hair, she sighed and made a mental note of the amount of time remaining before Harry was allowed physical activities again. Being in love with Harry was like living on a rollercoaster; it was intense, it made her heart race, it scared her at times, but she wouldn't change a second of it. She couldn't wait until they could physically show each other how they felt, but at the same time, she was scared. She was scared she wouldn't be enough for Harry, she was scared that he would walk away from her when he was returned to his full health. Deep in her heart, she knew her fears were unfounded, but she couldn't keep the thoughts away.

Harry's steady breathing told her that he had fallen asleep, and she knew she was only moments away from sleep herself. Her eyes fluttered shut and she lost herself in the feeling of being with Harry.

* * *

A loud crash coming from the next room caused Ginny to jump up from a dead sleep. Harry groaned loudly as her elbow sank into his stomach.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, clambering to get up from where they had fallen asleep on the floor.

He rolled over on his stomach and groaned again. "What did I do to deserve that?"

"I said I was sorry," Ginny huffed as she tried to straighten out her clothes. "I heard something and it startled me. Come on, get up and come with me to see what it was."

"Can't you go by yourself?" he asked, his voice muffled against the rug.

Ginny nudged his ribs lightly with her foot. "No. Now come on, lazy."

Harry slowly pulled himself up and frowned. "I didn't hear anything."

"There is someone in this house," Ginny insisted.

"Are you sure it wasn't Dobby or Winky?"

"No," she admitted. "But I'd feel better if we checked. Besides, we'll both get a better night's sleep if we're in bed instead of on the floor."

"Fine," he muttered, leading the way out of the den and into the hall. The cloak rack that normally stood next to the door was lying across the middle of the floor.

"I told you I heard something," Ginny said, peering from behind Harry's back.

"Is someone there?" Harry called.

"Oh! Sorry to wake you!" Harry and Ginny both jumped a mile in the air as Robert walked into the hall from the kitchen. "It started snowing, and I needed to get inside for a bit," he explained. "I assumed you were both upstairs, and was just going to pick the rack back up on my way outside."

"Its fine, Robert," Ginny assured him, stepping out from behind Harry. "You just startled us, is all."

"I wanted to thank you both for the invitation to your party. It arrived just before I left for my shift," Robert said, blushing slightly. "It really made my wife's night to get that invitation. She always wished I had a slightly more glamorous job, and it really meant a lot to her to see that you both considered me a friend, as well as an employee."

"You're not our employee!" Harry exclaimed.

"You work for the Ministry!" Ginny added.

"True," Robert said softly. "But I've only been working this job for the last month or two, so it's starting to feel like this is all I do."

"Well, personally I think the Ministry is wasting their Aurors on me," Harry sighed. "They're already short, and they keep at least one with me at all times."

"No offense, but this is the best assignment I've ever had. I feel like I'm spending time with my friends, instead of working," Robert admitted, looking down at his hands sheepishly. "And my boys just think it's right amazing that I work with the boy-who-lived."

Harry rolled his eyes, causing Ginny to jump into the conversation. "Well, we consider you to be our friend," Ginny replied kindly, nudging Harry in the ribs. "I just wish you didn't get stuck with the late shift so often."

"I don't mind," Robert said. "I get to spend a good portion of the day with my kids and wife, so it all works out in the end."

"Good," Ginny said firmly. "That's what is most important."

An awkward silence filled the hall and Ginny glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh my! It really is late, isn't it?"

"I should be getting back outside," Robert said quickly.

"That's not what I meant at all!" Ginny exclaimed. "Harry and I are going to go back to bed. You help yourself to a nice glass of tea or hot chocolate before going back out in that cold."

"I'll never forget your kindness," Robert said.

Harry sighed. "You really must stop talking about us like we're royalty or something. We're just people… and you still work for the Ministry, not for us."

"Of course," Robert replied, looking down at the floor.

Ginny placed her hand on Harry's shoulder and kissed his cheek softly. "Go on up, I'll be there in a minute." After Harry retreated up the stairs Ginny walked over to the Auror and hugged his neck tightly.

Robert awkwardly put his hands around her back and whispered in her ear. "I'm not sure what this is for."

"It's a thank you for being there for me to talk to while Harry was unconscious. I should have said it long ago," she replied softly, fighting the tears that were threatening escape.

"It was nothing. You're good company."

Ginny chuckled. "I was nothing of the sort before Harry returned to me. You put up with a good deal spending those long hours at the house."

Robert blushed again and seemed to be struggling to find words. Ginny kissed his cheek and pulled away from him. "You don't need to say anything, just know you have my gratitude. Have a nice night."

Ginny smiled at the Auror again before bidding him good night and heading up the stairs to join Harry and go back to sleep.

* * *

A/N Okay all my faithful readers that have been dying for the sequel to Seeking the Truth, I have good news and bad news for you. Good news, here's the first chapter! Bad news, you won't get a second chapter for a pretty long while. (We're talking possibly January.) Here's the deal: I lost my beta that worked with me for I've started posting revised versions of Seeking on other sites, and I've gotten a beta through that. However, they only look at what I'm uploaded for that site. Therefore, I can't start sending her new chapters until after all of the Seeking chapters have uploaded. (I'm not quite half way through the revised chapters.) Also, I've had a hard time getting motivated to write since HBP came out, so the actually writing process is going very, very slowly. So the sequel will come out, it just won't be for a while. I wanted to post all of this for you guys so you could be updated with what was going on. Thanks for reading and I hope you all continue to stick with me! 


	2. Coming Out

AN Okay, I've not quit, but my life is crazy right now, I've taken on another writing project, and I still don't have a beta for this story! The story will be done, just very slowly... Thanks for sticking with me!

* * *

Brushing some imaginary lint off of Harry's midnight blue dress robes, Ginny glanced at the clock. Their first guests were due to arrive any minute, and she was nervous as to how everyone would react to her being with Harry. The invitations citing both their names should have been a fairly obvious sign that they were together, but she knew that they'd be faced with the same questions over and over again all night. She and Harry had already decided that their best bet for the night would be to stick together as much as possible. Ginny knew that they were stronger together than apart; that together, they could face anything.

"It's going to be okay," Harry said, as if reading her mind. He ran his fingers along the side of her face before cupping her cheek in his palm. "We didn't invite anyone that wouldn't respect our privacy if we don't want to answer a question."

"Except for Jeff," Ginny frowned. She still couldn't believe they had invited the traitor to their party. She could understand the argument for inviting him, but she didn't think he would actually have the nerve to come.

"Now you know I've still got to work with him, now that he's on my team," Harry reminded her gently. "That doesn't mean I have to like him, but don't think I should go out of my way to alienate him and make him try to target us anymore. We've just been assuming he got what he wanted. Let's not rock the boat just yet."

Turning her head slightly, Ginny kissed his palm. "If you say so."

They were both startled from their reprieve by the door to the room they had rented at the Three Broomsticks opening with a creak.

"Everything looks wonderful!" Padma gushed as she walked into the room on Ron's arm. "I knew this would be better than having it at your house, Harry! This way you don't have to worry about kicking people out at the end of the night or cleaning up!"

"Let the man enjoy his party, Padma," Ron chuckled. "It does look great, though."

"Thanks," Ginny replied, taking Harry by the hand and pulling him towards the door. "I think we should take up residence by the door so we can greet everyone as they come in. That way, we're guaranteed to have talked to everyone at least once."

"I was actually going to suggest that," Padma interrupted. "Not that Ron and I needed greeting!"

Ginny was saved from having to comment by a frazzled looking Hermione rushing through the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner," she said, trying to catch her breath. "I wanted to get here early for moral support, but Lily's sitter was late."

Harry wrapped her in a hug before assuring her that she was fine. When Hermione noticed that Ron and Padma were the only other people there, she colored slightly and began to tug on her dress robes nervously, while Ron suddenly found the wallpaper to be fascinating.

"How is Lily doing?" Padma asked, apparently oblivious to Hermione's discomfort.

"Brilliantly," Hermione replied. "It amazes me how quickly she's growing."

"How old is she now?" Padma continued, tugging on Ron's arm slightly to try and bring his attention back to the conversation.

"Almost 15 months," Hermione replied.

The door to the room opened again, breaking up the conversation.

"Tank!" Ginny exclaimed as she saw the large man walk in with his very pregnant wife. She threw her arms around his neck and she felt him lift her off the floor and swing around in a circle. He set her down and she tipped up on her toes and whispered loudly, "Be careful, they might get jealous."

Harry chuckled as Tank threw his arm over his shoulder. "Sorry, luv, but you're not my type." He slapped Harry on the back and then pulled away. "Actually, he's not my type either. I happen to be very much in love with my wife."

Harry drew Ginny to his side and kissed the top of her head. "I happen to be very much in love with this one, so it all works out. How's retirement treating you?"

"Well, I would have preferred to end my career with a win, but I can't complain."

"Sorry about that," Harry replied sheepishly.

Tank frowned. "You know we go through this every time we talk… It wasn't your fault, and it was only thanks to you that we made it as far as we did."

"Changing the subject," Marissa interjected, "When are you going to come by the house again, Harry? The boys had so much fun with you last time."

"And when are you going to bring your little lady with you?" Tank added.

"I promise we'll come by after the holidays," Harry replied, grinning.

"And I promise that I won't let him leave me at home next time," Ginny added.

"Sounds like a plan," Tank said, patting Harry's shoulder. "Now I think we'll go mingle because you have new guests."

Ginny looked over Tank's shoulder and saw Susan Bones walking through the door with Neville Longbottom.

"Susan! Neville!" Ginny said as she hurried towards them, dragging Harry with her. "We're so glad you could make it! Where's Hannah, Neville?" Ginny was surprised to see both Neville and Susan blush and look down at the floor awkwardly.

"What did we miss?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, you two weren't the only ones keeping your relationship secret," Neville stammered.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"Hannah and I broke things off in September when I went back to Hogwarts," Neville explained. "But Susan and I kept in touch and it turned out that we actually were more compatible."

"We kept things quiet for Hannah's sake, but when she told me recently she had started to see someone new, we came clean," Susan finished.

"Wow," Ginny said. "Not that I don't see the two of you together, but the gossip was that Hannah and Neville were practically engaged."

Susan laughed and exchanged a look with Neville. "Actually, Hannah fell head over heels for her new bloke, and they're the ones that are practically engaged!"

"That teaches us about gossiping," Harry chuckled.

"Speak of the devil," Ginny mused as Hannah walked in, followed closely by Anthony Goldstein.

"Ginny, Harry, thank you so much for inviting me," Hannah said, giving them both a small hug. "I guess these two filled you in on our situation."

Ginny nodded slightly, trying to keep from making eye contact with Anthony. She knew that several of the blokes she had gone out with would be at their party, but Anthony had actually been the only one she'd considered going out with twice. She stole a quick peek and noticed that he looked as uncomfortable as she felt. She realized that Harry had been keeping the conversation going, and was nudging her in the ribs to try and bring her back to reality.

"Well, we're happy for all of you," Ginny said, trying to smile.

"And we're all happy for you and Harry," Hannah added. "We'll all have to go out to dinner some time so you can tell us all about how you got together."

"Sounds like a plan," Harry agreed. "Now if you'll excuse us, we need to go greet Fred and Luna."

"Well that was only slightly embarrassing," Ginny whispered as they walked towards their newest arrivals. "Hello," she said happily, once they were in earshot of Fred and Luna. She hugged her brother first, and then did the same to Luna while Harry and Fred shook hands.

"Well, I'm glad you two have finally come out with your relationship," Fred said.

"Me too," Ginny admitted.

"So the next question is when Harry's going to make an honest woman out of you," Fred asked, winking at Harry.

Ginny had to fight from pinning Harry to the ground until he answered the question. She would love to be able to tell all of her family and friends that she and Harry were getting married, even though they'd only been together a few months. A quick glance at Harry's reddening face, however, told her that he wasn't quite ready to talk about marriage.

"Who says I'm not an honest woman?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you have been lying about your relationship with Harry," Luna pointed out airily. "So, for all we know you could be the person behind the big Quidditch scandal of 1965."

"But I wasn't even born then!" Ginny exclaimed over Fred's chuckles.

"Well, I hardly see how that matters," Luna sighed.

"Well," Harry broke in, "What about you two? You've been spending an awful lot of time together lately."

"Fred thinks that I give him good ideas for his shop, and he loves to listen to my stories about my work on the Quibbler," Luna replied, while Fred colored slightly. "Plus, I've been able to help him keep his mind off the fact that Angelina is now seeing a lot of Lee Jordan."

"What?" Harry and Ginny exclaimed at the same time.

Fred adjusted the collar on his robes and shifted his weight uncomfortably. "They've been seeing each other casually for a little while now. They can't make it tonight, by the way. They both sent their regards."

"I thought Angelina was seeing one of MJ's teammates?" Ginny asked.

"Well, you know how gossip gets started," Fred replied, waving his hand in the air dismissively. "But we're going to go mingle since I think some more people walked in."

"Dustin!" Ginny said, shocked to see the former Chaser walking around, much less at their party.

"Surprised?" he asked with a grin, leading his wife Beth towards where Harry and Ginny were standing.

"Well, yes!" Ginny chuckled. "When'd you get out of the hospital?"

"Two weeks ago," he explained as he shook Harry's hand. "We wanted to keep it quiet for awhile, but I couldn't resist coming out tonight when I got your invitation."

"Trust me, he couldn't," Beth added laughing. "I tried to convince him that he needed his rest, but he wouldn't hear anything of it."

"I know how you feel, mate," Harry said. "Being stuck inside a house is terrible."

"I thought I'd go crazy if I didn't get to talk to someone besides Beth, the boys, or my healers soon," Dustin added, receiving a glare from his wife.

"Dustin!"

Dustin turned around and broke into a grin. "Tank!" He waved at his friend before turning his attention back to Harry and Ginny. "If you two will excuse us I want to go say hello to Tank and Marissa. I'm glad you two are finally officially together. We had a running pool in the house as to how long it would take you to snog."

Harry and Ginny both blushed while Beth slapped her husband playfully.

"I can't believe you did that! I apologize for my husband. We'll get out of your hair before he says something else ridiculous."

Ginny turned to Harry and placed her arms around his neck as soon as Dustin and Beth walked away. "Well that would explain some things about Dustin," she mused.

Slipping his arms around her waist, Harry nodded. They stood like that for several moments before a squeal startled them both. Harry glanced over Ginny's shoulder and shook his head.

"It's just Lavender and Padma. I say we leave them to their own devices," Harry said. "Although Lavender brought Zac Smith, interestingly enough."

Ginny dropped her head on Harry's shoulder. "Well, this time he has to leave me alone because he knows I'm with you now."

"Yep, I think the glare he's sending us is a sure sign that he knows," Harry replied lightly.

Groaning, Ginny turned her head slightly and locked eyes with Zac. His expression softened slightly before he slipped one arm around Lavender's waist and shook Ron's hand with the other. Before she could comment to Harry, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Jacob!" she said happily, releasing Harry and turning around. "I'm so glad you two could make it," she said before realizing that his wife was not by his side. "Where is Chloe?"

"Oh, she saw Hermione and went off to chat about the Ministry," Jacob replied. "She told me to tell you both that she was happy you were able to come out with your relationship, and that she was glad Harry passed all his tests today with flying colors."

"Thanks," Ginny replied.

"Yeah, and if I don't get around to it tonight, tell her thanks for working with me," Harry added.

"So I see I'm not the first one here," Wesley said as he walked up to the trio.

"Good to see you," Harry said as he shook hands with the Beater.

"Good to see all of you," he replied. "And I'm glad you all finally came clean. If you don't mind me asking, when'd you first snog?"

"Wesley!" Jacob exclaimed. "That's so rude! What would your wife say?"

Wesley shrugged. "Nothing, she wasn't feeling well so she stayed home."

"We know about the bet," Ginny interrupted slyly. "And I want to see what everyone's guesses were before I reveal anything."

"I'm not telling," Jacob said decidedly.

"Talk to MJ, he's got loose lips," Wesley added laughing.

"Where is MJ, by the way?" Harry asked.

Wesley shrugged. "Who knows? He always did like to make a big entrance. Well, I'm going to go and be social. Are you going to be at practice on Tuesday, Harry?"

"That's the plan for now," he replied. "I don't have clearance to play until after the New Year, but for some reason they want me there on Tuesday."

"Well, if I somehow don't see you again tonight, I'll definitely see you there," Wesley said. "Come on Jake, let's go talk to Tank and Dustin."

"When do we get to eat?" Harry whispered in Ginny's ear.

"Not for at least another thirty minutes," she replied softly. "We have to give all of our guests time to get here before we start eating."

"Ron's not waiting," he said, pointing to the table Ron was sitting at, hovering over a plate of food.

"It's not Ron's party," she reminded him. "And we decided on a buffet so people could eat whenever they were hungry."

"I'm hungry now."

Ginny slapped his arm playfully. "You can eat after the next few people come in. After that, we can drop our greeting duty."

"Well good, because here comes George and Katie," Harry said, nodding towards the door.

Her face breaking into a grin, Ginny hurried over and wrapped her sister-in-law in a hug. "You look absolutely radiant, Katie!"

"And what about me?" George asked, pretending to look offended.

"Well, when you're pregnant with my first little niece or nephew I'm sure you'll look radiant too," Ginny replied laughing.

"I'm glad you both could make it," Harry said, walking up behind Ginny.

"Wouldn't have missed it," George shrugged. "We would have been here sooner, but Katie doesn't move as fast as she used to. I'm just glad all the secrecy is over."

"Me too," Ginny admitted again.

"Not to be rude, but my feet are killing me and I see a fellow whale sitting down over there," Katie said. "If you need me, I'll be at that table."

George smiled apologetically. "I'm going to go get her settled and see if she wants any food," he said, rushing after his pregnant wife.

"It still kills me to see George acting like an adult," Harry mused.

"It kills me to see Fred spending so much time with Luna," Ginny countered.

"I guess we've all changed, haven't we?"

"We've grown up," she replied softly.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything," MJ said slyly. "Harry, Ginny, I'd like you to meet my date and fellow Chaser, Lauren O'Donnell."

Ginny smiled and offered her hand to the pretty, red headed witch. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Lauren replied.

"We're glad you both could make it," Harry added.

"Sorry we're late, but we had to make a pit stop," MJ said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Matty!" Lauren giggled. "I'm sorry, he's being rude."

"We're used to it by now," Ginny teased.

"Oh you don't have to spend five minutes with MJ to realize he's a rude blighter," someone said from behind Ginny. She turned around to see Oliver Wood standing with Cho Chang.

"So you know MJ then?" Ginny asked.

"Oh yeah," Oliver grinned. "This guy's big mouth has earned him a pretty big reputation around the league."

"And around the Ministry," Cho added.

"I don't think it's my mouth that's earned me the reputation," MJ said suggestively. "Though I haven't had any complaints about that either."

"You're terrible!" Lauren exclaimed. "I don't know why I put up with you!"

"You're a stronger woman than me," Cho chuckled.

"Well, regardless, we're glad you could all make it," Harry interjected.

"I'm glad you both found happiness together," Cho replied, sending Harry a significant look.

"Are you two together?" MJ asked bluntly, nodding between Cho and Oliver.

"Maybe," Oliver replied. "But I like the keep my business private from a big mouth like you."

A bright flash temporarily blinded them and when her sight returned Ginny looked around for the source.

"Colin! Give us some warning next time," she scolded, fighting to keep the grin off her face.

"Sorry, but Maggie here thought her cousin would want a picture with her newest bloke."

Ginny noticed the woman with the striking resemblance to Cho standing beside Colin. "I don't think we've ever met."

"Maggie," the woman replied extending her hand. "And I wish we had met much sooner. You must be Harry."

"That's me," he replied, shaking her hand. Ginny discreetly stepped on his toe to try and wipe the annoyed look off of his face.

"You'll have to excuse us, we need to go greet some more of our guests," Ginny said politely, dragging Harry away from the crowd. "Watch it," she hissed to him under her breath. "Don't be rude."

Harry rolled his eyes. "When'd Dean Thomas and Terry Boot get here?"

"I don't know, I missed them come in," she replied. "I don't recognize Dean's date."

"I think I've seen her at several of the Quidditch banquets," Harry remembered, "but never with Dean before."

"Interesting," Ginny mused as she watched the witch kiss Dean. "She's pretty."

"Doesn't hold a candle to you," Harry whispered, nuzzling her neck.

"Well don't let us keep you from anything," Tonks said cheerfully. Harry and Ginny broke apart sheepishly.

"Glad you could make it," Ginny teased. "Did your clocks stop working or were you too busy with other things?"

Laughing from his place beside Tonks, Charlie shook his head. "I wish! My lovely Auror fiancée and that bloke Robert thought it'd be for the best if they kept an eye on things downstairs for awhile before we came up."

"You didn't have to do that," Harry sighed.

"But thank you," Ginny added. "Where's Robert now?"

"Looking for his wife. She couldn't stand the cold like Charlie here," Tonks replied, linking her arm with Charlie's.

"So I'm assuming there wasn't any sign of Jeff," Ginny said, glancing around the room and lowering her voice.

"None," Tonks replied. "It's still early, but I honestly doubt he'll have the nerve to show up."

"Looks like you spoke too soon," Harry said dryly, nodding towards the door.

Ginny turned around and saw Jeff walk into the room with a beautiful brunette on his arm. He was smiling broadly like he didn't have a care in the world, shaking hands with all the people he knew as he walked through the room. She felt a hand on her shoulder and realized that she had clenched her hands into fists.

"It'll be okay, love," Harry whispered reassuringly.

"I can't believe he had the nerve to show up!" she spat.

"Well, reel it in a bit, because he's heading your way," Tonks said.

"Harry, Ginny, thank you for the invitation," Jeff said as he walked towards them.

"Well, we thought it would be best to invite the entire team," Harry replied coolly.

Jeff's smile faltered slightly before he recovered. "Do you know my date, Daphne Greengrass? I believe she was in your year at Hogwarts, Harry."

"Slytherin, right?" Harry asked.

"That's right," Daphne replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you two know each other?" Ginny asked, feeling her suspicions rise.

Jeff chuckled and exchanged a glance with Daphne. "She's a friend of our new boss… But I didn't just say that. I'm not supposed to know anything until Tuesday, just like the rest of the team."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ginny asked, feeling Harry hold her back to keep her from attacking the Beater.

"I'm sure Harry will tell you after he finds out on Tuesday," Jeff replied, winking broadly. "Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to go find drinks."

"That bastard!" Ginny hissed.

"Don't let him get to you," Harry whispered. "There's nothing we can do about him right now. We'll start looking into it tomorrow, but for now we should just enjoy our party. Just avoid him for the rest of the night, and let the Aurors keep their eyes on him."

Sighing, Ginny nodded. "Why don't you go find some food? I know you're hungry. We'll mingle for a bit and then meet in the middle."

"What happened to sticking together?" Harry teased.

"Well, no one's had a big reaction to our being together so I think we're safe from harassment," Ginny admitted. She leaned over and kissed Harry's cheek. "Go have fun. I'll see you in a bit!"

Ginny watched as Harry walked away in the direction of the buffet. She turned around to face Tonks and Charlie. "You two don't have to baby sit me all night. I promise I'm not going to attack Jeff or anything."

"Well in that case I'm going to go find George," Charlie chuckled. "You coming with me, luv?"

"Alright," Tonks replied grinning. "Let us know if you need anything, Ginny."

"I will," she promised as she sent the two on their way. Ginny took a deep breath and looked around her party. She was honestly surprised that there hadn't been a very big reaction to her relationship with Harry. She could only guess that they hadn't been as discreet as they thought.

Ginny tried to blend in to the crowd so she could observe everyone interacting. She couldn't keep herself from seeking out Harry first. She was surprised to see him sitting at a table eating, joined by Dean, Zac, Anthony, and Terry. They weren't the company she would have preferred for Harry to keep, and she was fairly sure that they weren't his first choice of company either. Dean and Zac seemed to be laughing about something, and it looked to Ginny like Harry was slightly uncomfortable with the conversation. She made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"Shouldn't you be enjoying your party?" Hannah asked, interrupting Ginny from her thoughts.

Ginny turned around and saw Hannah standing with Susan, both of them looking at her expectantly. "Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts for a minute there."

Susan grinned coyly. "We saw who you were staring at."

"You caught me," Ginny admitted. "I can't help but keep worrying about him after everything we've been through."

"How long have you two been together now?" Hannah asked.

Ginny furrowed her brow in concentration. "You know, I don't know!" she chuckled. "It feels like years, but honestly I think he's been unconscious half the time."

"I don't know how you do it!" Susan said. "I don't think my heart would be able to handle it all. That's one reason why I love Neville… he's safe."

"He's probably the one worrying about you," Hannah pointed out.

Susan sighed. "He understands. We're both just glad that you understand."

Ginny began to feel as if she was intruding on a private moment between the two friends. She tried to slowly back away from them without drawing attention to herself. She jumped as she bumped into someone.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Cho. I didn't see you there!"

The other witch smiled warmly. "Actually, I was coming to talk to you. I wanted to thank you for not having a problem with me coming, given that Harry and I share a very brief history. I know it might have made some women feel uncomfortable, but you've really handled it with class."

"It really isn't a big deal," Ginny replied honestly. "I actually feel a little bad for not actually putting you on the guest list."

Cho waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Honestly, I'm not sure I would have had the nerve to come if it wasn't for Oliver… But I didn't just say that," she added, chuckling. "There are too many reporters here to get too loose lipped."

Ginny laughed. "I'm not sure how that happened, other than the fact that my brother is dating the press!"

"I always thought that Ron and Hermione would end up together, no matter what," Cho mused. "I thought it was obvious from pretty early on how much they fancied each other."

"I don't think anyone could have predicted how things turned out," Ginny replied. She felt a lump form in her throat and she tried to force it down. "The war was hard on everyone, and their relationship was just another one of the casualties."

"Okay, that is enough of the depressing war talk," Cho said. "I'm going to go find Oliver. It was really nice catching up!"

"I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening," Ginny replied. Once Cho left in search of Oliver, Ginny turned her attention back to the party. She began to seek out Harry again, but this time he was harder to locate. She finally saw him standing in the corner of the room, talking quietly with Neville. Even though it shouldn't have surprised Ginny to see Harry talking to Neville, something about the way they were standing, as if they were worried about being overhead, concerned her. After debating for a few moments on whether or not to break up their conversation, Ginny felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Were you planning on ignoring your family all night?" Fred asked, sniffing loudly as if he would burst into tears at any moment.

Ginny laughed and slapped his arm playfully. "No! I've just been trying to mingle! You're my family, I actually see you from time to time, unlike most of our guests."

"Well, you actually see me from time to time, now," Fred corrected.

Her smile faltered slightly, but Ginny refused to let it leave her face. "I'm glad we're acting more like a family again."

"Isn't it about time to make Harry an official part of our family?" Fred teased.

"Aren't Katie and Tonks enough for you right now?" Ginny replied, rolling her eyes. "If you want to bug someone, bug Ron. He and Padma seem to be fairly inseparable."

Fred rolled his eyes. "I'd prefer to add Harry, if you don't mind."

Ginny threw her head back in laughter. "You know, I think I would, too."

"Why don't you go see if you can convince Harry?" Fred suggested with a wink.

Ginny gave Fred a half hug and smiled. "I think I might just do that." She felt that she had spent enough time watching Harry, and that it was time to try and convince him to dance. She spotted him sitting at a table by himself, mulling over a cup of punch. She quietly made her way over to him, and had to clear her throat to get him to notice her presence.

"Oh! Gin, I didn't see you come over," Harry said with a nervous chuckle.

"Probably because you looked completely absorbed in your thoughts," she replied. "Take a break and come dance with me."

Harry glanced around the room, for reasons Ginny didn't understand, and nodded his head slightly. Ginny offered him her hand and they walked slowly to the dance floor. They began to sway gently to the music, and Ginny wished that Harry would hold her closer. She assumed that he was being self-conscious, knowing her brothers and all their friends were probably watching them. A sudden feeling of exhaustion came over Ginny, and she practically collapsed into Harry's arms.

"Harry," she said quietly. "Let's not split up anymore tonight."

Harry nodded his head slightly and they continued to dance. They spent the remainder of the party by each other's side, mingling with their friends and family. Ginny almost felt like half of their guests were avoiding them, but she wrote it off as simply being paranoid. Now that she and Harry weren't trying to keep their relationship secret, she hoped that her constant paranoia that she was being watched or followed would disappear.

* * *

Before Ginny knew it, the party was over and almost of their guests had left. She and Harry sat at one of the tables with Ron and Padma, each one looking too tired to move.

"Well, I think that was a rousing success," Padma said, dropping her head on Ron's shoulder. "I think I could sleep for a week."

"Me too," Ron agreed.

"Does that mean you want to go to bed?" Padma asked coyly.

Ron blushed slightly. "You know, I don't even know if I have the energy."

"Not as young as you used to be?" Harry teased.

"Sod off," Ron replied, laughing. He stood up from the table and then helped Padma up. He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his body. "We'll see you both later. Are you going to be able to get home okay?"

"Actually, I rented a room here," Harry said. "I didn't know how late things were going to go, so I got one just in case."

"Well, you two have fun," Padma grinned. "Don't stay up too late."

As soon as Ron and Padma had left the room Ginny turned to Harry smiling. "Why didn't you tell me you rented a room for the night?"

Harry shrugged. "I rented a couple, actually. Just in case anyone had too much to drink and couldn't make it home."

Ginny felt a slight pang of disappointment in her gut but tried to force the feeling away. "Well that was a good idea. Shame we have to put most of them to waste."

"I'm sure we can work something out with Rosmerta for the rooms we didn't use," Harry replied. "Or we could each take our own room, if you'd like to spread out for once."

This time Ginny's disappointment couldn't be easily brushed aside. She frowned at Harry. "Why wouldn't I want to sleep in the same room as you?" she asked, silently adding, _especially after you've just been given your medical clearance._

Harry gave a large exaggerated yawn and stood up from the table. "It was just a suggestion. You ready for bed?"

Still in her state of confusion, Ginny nodded and stood up from the table. She took Harry's hand and let him lead him from the room and towards one of rooms he had rented. She spent the entire walk trying to figure out what was bothering Harry. She didn't know if she had done something to upset it, or if he wasn't feeling well. She was so lost in her thoughts that she walked into Harry when he stopped in front of their room. Harry chuckled slightly before dropping her hand and walking into the room.

Ginny stood, gaping at the door, trying to figure out what was going on. She walked into the bedroom and saw Harry already in his pajamas. With a determined look on her face, Ginny walked over to him, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with all she was worth. Harry immediately responded, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closely.

But before Ginny knew what was going on, Harry had pulled away. He smiled and her and kissed the top of her head. "Good night, Gin."

Ginny was too shocked too move as Harry crawled into bed and turned his back to her. She finally walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed, completely confused with what was going on with Harry.


	3. Explanations

Ginny woke up the next morning cold and alone. Shivering, she pulled the duvet that had been kicked to the foot of the bed during the night up to her chin and looked around the room for a sign of Harry. She sighed and closed her eyes after confirming that she was completely alone. She wasn't sure what was going on with Harry, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. She was terrified that he had decided he no longer cared for her, now that he didn't need her to care for him. Even though she knew in her heart that he loved her, she couldn't fight her insecurities. She felt a flutter of panic in her heart every time she thought about it.

Sitting up in bed, Ginny threw her legs over the side and reached for her dressing gown. She padded to the bathroom to try and make herself feel a little more human. Afterwards she found the bag Harry had packed for her and changed into a pair of jeans and a jumper. She had just pulled her hair back into a ponytail when there was a knock on the door.

"Tonks!" Ginny exclaimed after she opened the door. "What are you doing here?" Ginny paused and then started to panic. "Where's Harry? Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure," Tonks replied, her confusion showing. "I thought you might want to go out and celebrate this morning… You know, show off some."

Ginny frowned. "Celebrate and show off what?"

Tonks bit her lip before smiling brightly. "Your successful party, of course. And the fact that as of today you and Harry don't have Auror escorts anymore. We're going to show off the newfound free you!"

Ginny couldn't help but smile at the thought of having her freedom back. "I'd love to go shopping… I just wish I knew where Harry disappeared to this morning."

"No worries," Tonks replied. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably had an errand to run or something, and didn't want to wake you."

"If you say so," she sighed. "Let me grab my cloak and then we can go."

"Brilliant," Tonks said, leaning against the door frame.

A few minutes later, the two witches were strolling together down the streets of Hogsmeade. Ginny couldn't help but feel like people were staring at her as they walked, and she tried her hardest to write it off as her increasing paranoia.

"Ginny," Tonks said out of the corner of her mouth. "Why are all of these people staring at us?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ginny shrugged. "No clue, I thought I was imagining it."

"No, they are definitely staring," Tonks replied. "I know I'm a radiant bride to be, but this is ridiculous. Wait right here." Tonks walked away from a protesting Ginny and over to two witches standing close together on the street corner. Ginny watched them have a brief conversation, and then it looked like Tonks was struggling with them over something. Finally, Tonks appeared to be victorious and she walked back to where Ginny was waiting.

Ginny could tell by the way Tonks was walking that whatever it was, was bad. "Just tell me, whatever it is," she said through gritted teeth. Tonks reluctantly handed Ginny a magazine. Laughing nervously, she took it. "What kind of rubbish has _Witch Weekly_ published this time?" Her jaw dropped as she saw a picture of herself on the cover, kissing Harry, under the title: Boy Who Lived, Living with Slag? "Oh my…"

Unable to keep her morbid curiosity at bay, Ginny flipped the magazine open to the story.

Boy Who Lived, Living with Slag

An expose by Valerie Valkryie

_i It has come to the attention of this reporter that England's most eligible bachelor is no longer on the market. Last night at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, one Harry Potter threw an early Christmas party with his significant other, Ginevra Weasley. The two have been together for an unknown amount of time; however it is important that the reader notes that Miss Weasley was the team manager for the English Nation team. That position forbids the romantic involvement with any of the players, and Mr. Potter was unconscious for approximately a month after England's departure from the World Cup._

_It seems that Miss Weasley has found herself above the rules of common decency in the past, so we would not put her above doing it currently. Apparently, Miss Weasley had a reputation of sleeping around while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I've spoken to several of the young men she went out with while at Hogwarts, all of which have two things in common: they wouldn't like to be named, and they all claimed to have slept with Miss Weasley._

_One has to ask, does the boy who lived deserve better? Harry Potter has been rumored to be romantically linked with muggle-born Hermione Ganger in the past, and he was still living with her before he joined the World Cup team. Did Miss Weasley steal Mr. Potter away from his girlfriend as she did with so many boys in her past/i _

"I can't believe this," Ginny whispered, letting the magazine drop the ground.

"Its rubbish, all of it," Tonks assured her, putting her arm around her shoulders. "Come on; let's get you back to the Burrow and away from all these nosey witches."

Ginny nodded her head and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. She wished she knew where Harry was. She could use the company of someone who loved her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ginny had no idea how her day continued to keep getting worse. Tonks had dropped her off at the Burrow so she could try to find Harry, and for five peaceful minutes it looked like things were going to be okay. Five peaceful minutes before her brothers started showing up. She was currently sitting at the kitchen table, her head resting on it, while her brothers continued to debate about her life like she wasn't there.

"I say we round up all the blokes Ginny went out with at Hogwarts until someone confesses," Fred said, slamming his fist on the table.

"She did go out with a lot of blokes," George pointed out.

Ginny angrily picked her head up from the table and glared at George. "Are you accusing me of something? Do you actually believe any of this rubbish?"

"Well," George began, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, "none of us were exactly innocent while we were at Hogwarts… And you did just admit that the article was right about you living with Harry. You could have told us about that, you know."

"What, and face this lovely inquisition? No thanks," she replied bitterly, dropping her head back on the table.

"I think we all just need to calm down," Charlie said evenly. "What's important is that Ginny's name is being dragged through the mud, and her relationship with Harry is wide out in the open now."

"Thank you," Ginny said, glad someone was getting the point.

"The truth isn't what's important," Charlie added.

"Charlie!" Ginny exclaimed.

"That's not what I meant," he stammered. "I just meant what you do is your business, not ours."

"I'm not a slag!" Ginny screamed. "I had some fun in school with a couple of different blokes, is that a crime?"

"Hey, I was at school at the same time as you, and I never heard any kind of rumor about you," Ron agreed. "I think this is just someone trying to get to Harry again. That Valerie woman is just constantly going after him."

"Did you talk to Padma about it?" Ginny asked.

"She was already at work when I found out this morning," he replied.

"I bet she'd know who was behind it," Fred mused.

"Well, I'm sure I know who talked to the press," Luna said airily as she walked into the room.

"Where'd you come from?" Charlie asked.

"My house. All of the Ravenclaw boys talked about you all the time," Luna continued as if she were talking about the weather. "You were quite popular with them… When I asked why, they laughed and said you threw a good slumber party. I always wondered why you didn't invite me to one of your slumber parties when we lived so close."

"I can't believe this," Ginny groaned. "Luna, why didn't you ever say anything?"

"I mentioned something to Neville once, but he just blushed and said that Dean thought the same thing," she replied, sitting down next to Ginny at the table. "I asked if Ron ever went to your slumber parties, and he said Ron and Harry didn't know about them. I guess now I know why."

"Luna, I never slept with any of those blokes!" Ginny exclaimed. Her eyes went wide as the cause of Harry's odd behavior suddenly dawned on her. "He couldn't believe all of them… He knows me better than that… He wouldn't…"

"I'm going to kill him for deserting you," Ron muttered. "And then I'm going to go and kill every last bloke you went out with."

"That's not going to solve anything," Charlie said, putting a restraining hand on Ron's shoulder. "At least give Harry a chance to explain why he's gone missing."

"Maybe he just had an errand to run," George suggested.

Fred gave George a sideways glance before lowering his voice. "Then why didn't he do it last night?"

"We were busy last night," Ginny sighed. "The party was taking up all of our time, not to mention appointments with healers, constant Auror guards, I could go on…"

"I still want to know why you felt like you had to lie to us about your living together," Fred said.

All of Ginny's emotions were finally too much for her to handle. She felt like a volcano had erupted inside of her. "Because it wasn't your business! I think it's time for all of you to leave! I'm a big girl, I can handle myself, my business, and my boyfriend. If I want your help, I'll ask for it!"

"Sheesh, we were just trying to help," George said as everyone refused to make eye contact with Ginny.

"Just leave," she sighed. "If he's not back in a few minutes, I'm going to go out and find him myself." She stood up and walked over to the backdoor, holding it open for all of them to walk out. She shut the door behind them, not failing to notice that they had congregated in the backyard. She decided that as long as they weren't inside bothering her, she didn't care what they were up to.

"Hey."

Ginny whipped around and was faced with Harry. He looked like he hadn't slept, and he refused to look at her face.

"I'll just leave you two alone," Tonks said awkwardly.

"Charlie's in the backyard," Ginny replied, not taking her eyes off of Harry. As soon as the door shut and Tonks was gone, Ginny couldn't hold anything in any longer. "So you believe what some reporter said about me, is that it? Do you think so little of me? Do you think I'm some slag?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed, bringing his gaze off the floor. "I love you," he added quietly.

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. "Then why did you run away from me?"

"I just needed some time to think! All of those blokes you went out with at Hogwarts cornered me last night… saying things about you… asking how our sex life was… I was mortified when they all laughed at me when I said we hadn't slept together yet. They said you were the bike everyone had ridden."

"Why didn't you come talk to me about it?" Ginny asked, almost completely blinded by her fury.

"That would have been a fun conversation," Harry said sarcastically before sighing. "I don't know. I kept thinking about every time you went out with someone new. All the weird things people would say that didn't make sense at the time. For Merlin's sake, even Neville thought it was true! He said he just didn't have the heart to tell me or Ron."

Ginny lost all control and she slammed her fists into the table. It felt like the entire world was against her. It was bad enough that her friends thought she was a slag, but Harry? It was more than she could bear. She felt Harry try to put his arms around her, and she shrugged them off. She turned around and pushed his chest.

"How could you?" she asked angrily.

"I'm so sorry," he said as he tried to take a step closer to her. "I shouldn't have listened to them. But it was all of them, not just one. I just didn't know what to think, so I needed some time to myself. I was an idiot, I should have come directly to you," he whispered, running his hands through her hair.

Ginny closed the distance between them and buried her head in his shoulder. "You have no idea how much this hurt me."

"I might."

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "How so?"

"When you believed I was with Hermione… it destroyed me."

"So is this my punishment? You don't trust me now?" she asked in disbelief. "I thought we were past all of that, Harry. How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

"No! That's not what I meant! I was only trying to say that I understood how you felt," Harry said desperately. "I love you, Ginny. I would have still come back to you even if all of this was true. I just needed some time to sort through my emotions."

Ginny pulled away from Harry's grasp and looked him in the eyes. A sudden wave of calm overwhelmed her, and she realized how much of her life was wrapped around Harry. It was as if someone had turned on a light inside her head. She realized that she had to do something for herself, something that didn't revolve around Harry. "Then you'll understand that I'll need sometime to sort through this," she said cautiously.

Fear shot through Harry's eyes. "Are you, are you breaking up with me?"

"No," she replied slowly. "But I think it might do us good to spend some time apart. Your Healers say you're doing better than ever, so I think we can afford to spend a few nights away from each other."

"Can I see you?" he asked shakily.

"Of course," she replied, forcing a smile. "We just won't spend quite as much time together. I need to think about some things, figure out what I want to do with my life. Get a job," she added with a foreign chuckle. She felt like someone else was saying the words, but she knew that it was what needed to be done.

"Why do I feel like things will never be the same after this?" Harry asked quietly.

"Because they'll be better," she replied, kissing his cheek gently. "I'm going to go lay down in my room. I'll owl you tomorrow." Ginny walked to the steps before pausing and turning around. "I wouldn't go out the back if I were you."

"Okay," Harry said softly. "Gin, I love you. Please don't forget that."

"I love you too, Harry," she replied with a sad smile. She turned her back to Harry and began her trek up the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ginny spent the next two days around the Burrow, thinking about what she wanted to do with her life. She and Harry exchanged owls and ate lunch together, but Ginny was having a hard time explaining to him exactly what she was going through. She knew she loved Harry, and she knew she wanted to be with him. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to settle down with him. She had been miserable for so long before they had gotten together that it felt like he was her only reason for happiness. She needed to be able to make herself happy. She needed to get a job.

She and Harry had eaten breakfast together that morning in celebration of his first Quidditch practice since the Cup. He was worried about what was going to happen, after talking to Jeff, but Ginny had tried to do her best to calm him down. The breakfast for Ginny, however, had just been another reminder that her life revolved around Harry. She was there to support him, but she didn't even have anything going on in her life that she needed support for. She was tired of debating about what she wanted to do with her life; she determined that she would go out the next day and start her job search, no matter what. The thought of going out in the public after the article was a scary one, but Ginny decided that she could hold her head high and ignore the whispers.

Ginny had also given a lot of thought to her relationship with Harry. She realized she couldn't blame him for her dependence on him… It wasn't his fault. She didn't want him to feel like she was punishing him for her own indecision about her life, so was going to surprise him with a romantic night after his Quidditch practice. She wasn't going to dwell on it, but if things went well, it might be a very big night for them.

During a time of so much confusion in her life, the only thing that was certain to Ginny was that she wanted to be with Harry. She just had to find the balance between her own life and her life with Harry. She was going to try and support him like she did before the article came out. She smiled as she thought about not sleeping alone anymore. She had missed waking up in Harry's arms.

"Morning sweetheart," Arthur said as he walked into the kitchen, bringing Ginny back to reality.

"Morning Dad," Ginny replied. "Shouldn't you be at work by now?"

"I'm taking a late morning," he replied. "How was your breakfast with Harry?"

"Fine," Ginny sighed. "He was really nervous about his practice today. I'm hoping he'll be done by about lunch time so he can let me know how it went."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," her father assured her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Have you reached any decisions?"

Ginny smiled. "Two, actually. I've decided that spending time away from Harry is just silly and counter productive, and that I'm going to face the world tomorrow and begin my job search."

"Good. I think it's time you moved on from this whole fiasco," Arthur replied. "I think you're making very mature decisions. Any ideas on job leads?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind finding another job with a Quidditch team," Ginny mused. "Or maybe something in Charlie's department at the Ministry."

"I'm sure people will be lining up to give you a job. Does this mean you'll be moving in with Harry full time?" he asked.

"If he'll have me," she replied. "Keeping up the charade just seems silly at this point."

Arthur patted her shoulder and sighed. "Well, I'm not thrilled about it, but I'll support you. You need to take all of the stress out of your life."

"Trust me, I know. I'm ready for my magic to calm back down." Ginny paused and began to use her best healer impersonation. "But, for that to happen I have to get rid of the stress in my life."

"That's my girl," Arthur smiled. "Now, I'm off to work before I'm even later."

"Bye Dad." Ginny watched her father apparate and tried to imagine herself holding a normal job like everyone else. She hated that she'd been mooching off of people since the end of the World Cup. She had a little money saved, but not enough to support herself. Ginny was determined not to go from being supported by her father to being supported by Harry. It all came back down to needing to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.

She stood up from the kitchen table and began to tidy up. She was going to have to talk to her father and Ron about keeping a clean house once she officially moved out. Of course, Ron hadn't really been sleeping at the house much. Ginny had to wonder if he and Padma would get married. It wouldn't surprise her if Padma already had the invitations, but she wasn't sure if Ron was ready. Padma was his first real relationship since Hermione, and Ginny was almost positive he still had feelings for Hermione. The devious part of her mind wanted to send Padma away for a month so Ron and Hermione could reconnect.

Putting up the clean dishes that were sitting on the counter, Ginny thought about how far she'd come since Hermione had first ventured down the path of motherhood. She was no longer jealous of the time Harry spent with Hermione and Lily. In fact, she thought she may have spent more time with them than Harry. Even while she was stressed out over Harry's recovery, she regularly had lunch with them. Ginny had realized how much she'd missed having a girl friend, and was glad to have Hermione back.

"Ginny? Are you home?" a frantic voice called from the living room.

Fear struck through Ginny's heart as she rushed towards the fireplace. Tonks's head was sticking out of the fireplace, and Ginny flew down to her knees next to her.

"What's wrong? Is it Harry?" she asked quickly.

"There was an attack on the Magpies' Quidditch pitch this morning. I wasn't assigned to go out there, and there haven't been any reported injuries so far. I just thought you'd want to know."

A hundred different possibilities of ways Harry was hurt flew through Ginny's mind. Struggling not to freak out, Ginny took a deep breath. "Will they be bringing the team into the Ministry or letting them go home?"

"I'm not sure, but stay home for now and I'll let you know when I know anything else," Tonks replied. "I just wanted to let you know."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Ginny replied.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Tonks said reassuringly. "It'll take a lot more than an attack on a Quidditch pitch to bring Harry down."

"Bloody right it will," Harry said, walking into the room.

Ginny scrambled up from the floor and flung herself into Harry's arms. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine, I promise. Bloody junior Death Eaters on brooms. They were only there long enough to scare everybody. If you ask me, they were trying to send me a message," he replied, stroking her back comfortingly. "Come on, let's sit down and I'll really fill you in." Harry led her over to the sofa and held her hands in his own.

"Why do I have the feeling this is about more than moronic Death Eaters?" Ginny asked shakily.

Harry shook his head. "It's so much more than moronic Death Eaters."

"Should I be nervous?" she asked.

"I don't think so… You may even find the situation humorous," he replied.

"Well, go ahead, the suspense is killing me," she chuckled nervously.

"I guess it started this morning in our meeting. I have to say it was all I could do to keep from slapping the smug look off of Jeff's face when he walked in. I knew he knew what was up, and I wanted to pound it out of him," Harry said with a grimace.

"Please tell me you didn't," Ginny groaned.

"I didn't," he replied with a grin. "I knew that I was about to find out what was up, and I didn't want to get kicked out of the meeting."

"Good. So what happened?"

"You're never going to believe this," Harry said shaking his head.

"Well you'll never know until you tell me," Ginny replied, growing impatient.

"Guess who walked into the room."

"Who?"

"Draco Malfoy."

Ginny's jaw dropped to the floor. She was certain that she had misheard Harry. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. Apparently, he bought the team."

"No!" she gasped.

"Yep. He bought the team, then made the trade for Jeff," Harry replied with a sour look on his face. "Sound suspicious at all?"

Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe it. He's been in cahoots with Malfoy this whole time?"

"Actually, I don't know," Harry said thoughtfully. "I'm leaning towards they didn't join forces until after we were out of the house. Otherwise, why not take me out when we were living together?"

"It just seems too simple," Ginny said. "And why would Jeff risk his career to help Malfoy? Threatening you to get you to quit was one thing, but the attacks were dangerous, and he was sloppy with them."

"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head.

"And why would Death Eaters attack a team owned by Malfoy? Better yet, why would Malfoy buy a team with you on it? Does he just want to make your life hell?" Ginny wondered.

"I wish I had answers for you, Gin," Harry sighed. "Right now all I have is more questions."

"You can't work for Malfoy," Ginny said.

"It's not that simple," he argued. "It's too late for me to be traded to another team, and I don't want to sit out the season. I'm tired of being restricted."

"But you can't work for him! You'd be coming in contact with Jeff and Malfoy everyday! If they still want to hurt you, and it's looking pretty obvious that they do, you'd be delivering yourself to them on a daily basis!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "You must have suffered some kind of injury during the attack because you've obviously lost your mind."

Harry stood up from the couch and began to pace in front of the fireplace. "How can you of all people not understand why I can't just not work?"

"What are you saying?" Ginny asked, jumping up from the couch. "Please stop pacing," she said impatiently. When Harry kept moving across the room Ginny stepped in front of his path to force him to stop. "Harry, I'm trying to talk to you!"

"I'm sorry if I have a lot on my mind right now," he replied sarcastically. "I don't need to hear you nagging me about working for Malfoy."

Ginny pushed Harry's chest, hoping the gesture would knock some sense into him. "Will you listen to yourself? Working for Malfoy? Do you honestly think that's a good idea? Forgive me if I don't want have to spend the rest of this year worrying about you like I've done for the past few months!"

"Sorry to be such a burden on you," Harry retorted. "Forgive me if some of us can't just be happy sitting around not doing anything all the time!"

Ginny saw red. "You know I've not been happy not working," she said, her voice quivering. "You know what this time apart has been about."

"You, Ginny. It's all been about you! Screw what anyone else needs or wants!"

Before she even knew what she was doing, Ginny's palm made contact with Harry's cheek. "My **life** has been about nothing but you since we've been together."

With his cheek still red with the imprint of Ginny's hand, his expression softened. "Gin, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," he began but Ginny cut him off.

"No, Harry. Not this time. I'm tired of your excuses. I was ready to put this separation behind us, ready to really begin our time together as a real couple. I thought I was punishing you for something that was just in my mind, but this has proven to me that you care about yourself way more than you care about me."

"You don't understand," Harry pleaded.

Ginny shook her head sadly. "I understand that you love me. I understand that I love you. But what you don't understand is that I'm not happy with my life right now. I thought that I could be happy just being with you, and that hasn't really worked out. I thought that I could be happy living with you and trying to find myself, but that didn't really work out either."

"I thought we were happy together," Harry said quietly. "I thought I made you happy."

"That's just it," Ginny replied exasperatedly. "You're the only thing that makes me happy, and we just don't seem to be on the same page right now."

"So what are you saying?" he asked.

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "I don't know, Harry. I just don't know."

"So we're right back where we started?"

Before Ginny could reply a large Eagle owl began tapping on the window. Harry walked over and took the letter that the owl was carrying. He quickly read the letter and snorted before crumpling it up and throwing it across the room.

"What was that?" Ginny asked softly.

"Owl from Malfoy. Apparently I've been kicked off the team for being a danger to my teammates and myself. If this owl had come thirty minutes ago none of this would have happened," he replied bitterly.

"This may have been inevitable," Ginny sighed. "I wish I had a simple answer for you… No one ever said life was going to be simple."

"Do you need space? Just don't cut me out. I'll do anything you need," Harry pleaded with her.

"I don't want anything to come between us, Harry. I didn't ever imagine it would come to anything like this. I can't imagine my life without you," she said quietly.

"But?"

"But for whatever reason, we're not on the same page right now. I'm not ending us. I could never end us," she continued, "but I need to figure out what I want out of my life. I've put you first for so long…"

"Gin, I don't need anything right now but you. I'm currently unemployed, I'm financially secure, I'm yours… Just tell me what you need from me," Harry pleaded.

Ginny took a deep breath. "Tomorrow morning, I'm going to go out and start my job search. In a few days, we'll do dinner after we've both had time to think and clear our minds. The last thing we need to do is make any irrational, emotional decisions."

"Sounds fair enough," Harry replied. He walked towards her and pulled he body close. "I love you, Gin. I'm sorry if I've been selfish, or taken too much from you without giving anything back."

"I'm sorry I'm being so crazy right now," Ginny added. "I don't know what's wrong with me. If I was being sensible, I'd grab hold of you and never let you go."

"You're going to have to do a lot more than this to get rid of me," he assured her. "I love you."

"No matter how messed up my mind is right now, I could never forget how much I love you," Ginny assured him. As Harry turned to leave the Burrow, Ginny fought her instinct to go grab him and make him stay. She didn't know if she was making the worst decision of her life, or the best. Either way, she had a feeling she was about to find out.


End file.
